Los Angeles: Gray-haired soul singer Taylor Hicks won the 2006 American Idol contest on Wednesday, capturing the hearts and votes of millions of viewers in the fifth edition of America's top-rated TV show.
Hicks, 29, who was told in auditions that he had the wrong image for a pop star, beat balladeer Katharine McPhee in the climax of a nationwide contest that attracted tens of thousands of wannabe performers.
Hicks and McPhee sang for the title and the winner was announced on Wednesday at the end of a star-studded finale at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre. The show featured guest performances by Prince, Dionne Warwick, Mary J. Blige, Burt Bacharach, Toni Braxton and Meat Loaf.
Alabama native Hicks, beloved for his trademark manic dancing, is the oldest American Idol in the reality TV series that has become a ratings juggernaut for Fox TV attracting some 30 million viewers a week since January.
Harmonica playing Hicks, who spent years singing in local nightclubs trying to break into the business, wins a coveted recording contract and will release his first single Do I Make You Proudin the next few days.
"Thank You America! I'm living the American Dream," screamed Hicks as he sang out the show.
McPhee, 22, a sultry Los Angeles musical theater performer, was deemed by the three-person judging panel to have one of the best vocal talents in American Idol history.
However, viewers got the final say and chose the charismatic Hicks, whose fans call themselves the ‘Soul Patrol’. Program officials said more than 63 million votes were sent in by phone or text but they did not give a breakdown.
With a style that mixes Joe Cocker with Ray Charles, Hicks added another musical genre to the Idol showcase after the pop songs of previous winner Kelly Clarkson, the R&B sound of Ruben Studdard and Fantasia Barrino and the country music of Carrie Underwood.
Hicks was a consistent favorite with viewers despite some acerbic comments by British judge and record producer Simon Cowell, who said one of his more goofy performances was like "a drunken father singing at a wedding."
The fifth season of American Idol proved the most successful ever, forcing rival TV networks to reschedule their programs to avoid competition.
Once derided as a cheesy talent show Idol has gained respectability in the industry and proved a boon for the struggling recording industry with sales of more than 33 million records since 2002 for finalists and runners-up.
The three Idol judges, Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson, have all signed on for at least three more seasons and auditions for the 2007 show start in cities across the nation in two months time.
Comments
0 comment